Monday, November 28, 2011

Quite a few good gigs since the last post; The Fox & Hounds, Fleet, The Old Ticket Hall, Windsor, The King's Arms, Dorking, The Propaganda, Fleet, The Swan, Farnham and latest one The Swan in Hampton Wick. All good gigs. Next gig is on Friday (2nd December) at the Poyntz Arms in East Molesey. Always a good gig. 9 start.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Our first outing at the United Services Club went very well. It's seems to be a very well run club. Stage area for the band, in-house PA and lighting, and a large selection of real ales. Many thanks to the excellent Chris Sharley (drums) and Glynn Evans (bass) for standing in at very short notice. From the left in the photo: me (looking worried), Martin Donohoe (looking very shifty), Chris Sharley (best shirt prize) and Glynn Evans (sorry for the key variations on the set list). Looking forward to our 2012 gigs at the club.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Our first gig at the United Services Club in Egham. 8 .45 start. Line up: Chris Sharley (drums), Glynn Evans (bass), Martin Donohoe (guitar/vocals) and Chris Snook (guitar/vocals).Come along if you're in the area, should be a good night.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The incomparable Burt Jansch who sadly passed away today. He was the first guitarist that made me sit up and listen and attempt fingerstyle guitar playing. A true original who influenced generations of would be guitar players.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Two of the best landlords on the gigging circuit, John from the Barley Mow in Shepperton (beer in hand) and Mark East (moustachioed) from the The Rowbarge in Guildford. Both music lovers who go out of their way to promote live music in their pubs. We played at the Rowbarge last Friday and will be playing at the Barley Mow on Saturday 1st October, 9 start.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The wedding gig at Hampton Court House went very well. The band set up and sound checked (almost a first for us) in the morning and came back in the evening to play. We had to wrestle Martin's guitar from Sam Kelly (in the middle in the above photo, flanked on the right by Patrick Quirke and on the left by Martin Donohoe) and put him behind his drum kit where he rightly belongs, where he did his usual great job for us. From the first to the last number the guests were dancing, always a good sign. Paul, the groom, liked us so much he said he'd book us for his next wedding. McFly were playing in the field next door and newly weds Paul and Becky flew off to trek for three weeks in Nepal the next day.

Monday, July 25, 2011

A few hours before the gig Pete Miles, our drummer for the gig, rang in to say that his car had died and he wouldn't be able to make it. Luckily at the last minute Chris Sharley (pictured on the right in the photo with Martin Donohoe), was able to do the gig. Chris has played with the band quite a few times over the years, so many thanks to him for saving the day.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Nothing to do with the band, but I heard today that Lucian Freud has died. One of my favourite artists and an early inspiration and influence on me when I was involved in painting and drawing. My favourite painting of his is this 1952 portrait of Francis Bacon. A small beautifully painted portrait. A 'real' painter, they don't make them like that anymore. Oh, and yes Fluke have a gig tonight (22nd July) at the Queen's Head in Kingston.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Two gigs this week for Fluke in Fleet. On Thursday we played at the Propaganda Music Canteen, followed by the Fox & Hounds on Friday. On Thursday the band struggled to even get to Fleet as there were horrendous queues on the M25 and M3. It took me two and quarter hours to get there from Wimbledon, a journey that usually takes about an hour. Still we had a good gig. Sorry to hear that Tammy had been 'let go' from the Propaganda Music Canteen. Charming lady and very hard working. On Friday the band left plenty of time for possible traffic delays and arrived two hours early for the gig! Still it was good to set up early and make sure everything was working properly. Another excellent gig, always a good sign when the landlady is dancing. Photo shows band (Martin Donohoe, Chris Snook,Sam Kelly, Patrick Quirke) relaxing by the canal in the garden of the Fox & Hounds before the gig.

On the 9th June the band played for father and son Dan (pictured top)and Martin Hooton, who shared a birthday. It was held at the Trooper pub in Froxfield, just outside of Petersfield. Excellent pub on the Surrey Hampshire border. Plenty of food and drink provided including a hog roast. Over a hundred guests and by the end of the evening most of them were up and dancing.

On the 24th June the band played at the Tamesis Sailing Club in Teddington to help celebrate Patrick Quirk's 60th (surley not) birthday. Patrick is a regular bass player with the band. The band were joined by other musician friends of Patrick's and it ended up being a great night for the band and the ninety or so guests. The photos show the band doing a pre-gig sound check.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Despite the torrential rain enough people turned up to make the band's first gig at the Lion Brewery in Ash a good one. Nice friendly pub with good playing area. We're looking forward to playing there again soon. Line up for the night was, from the left, Martin Donohoe (guitar/vocals), Patrick Quirke (bass/vocals), Sam Kelly (drums) and Chris Snook (guitar/vocals) behind the camera.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Our second gig at the King's Head Theatre Pub in Islington turned out to be just as good as the first gig. A great crowd enthusiastically cheered us on all night. Probably the first time the band has had to wait for a performance of Madame Butterfly to finish before we could start playing. Some of the opera goers stayed on to listen to the band. We also were asked to play at two private functions. The line up for the evening was the excellent Sam Kelly on drums (son of Dave Kelly, guitarist with the Paul Jones Band), Patrick Quirke on Bass, and the regulars Iain Fidler on keyboards, John Parry on lead guitar and vocals and Chris Snook on guitar and vocals. We'll be playing there again soon so keep an eye on our gig listings.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Our last gig of 2010 and one of the best. Mark and Chrissie, the landlords of the Rowbarge are an example of how landlords should be. Always welcoming and very keen to promote live music at their pub. The band always looks forward to playing there.

About the band

Fluke are a four piece band playing mostly material from the 60's to the present day including numbers by The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Canned Heat, Steeley Dan, Elvis Costello, Spencer Davis, The Small Faces, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Eagles, Steve Miller Band, The Doors, The Kings Of Leon, The Stereophonics and many more. The band performs at pubs clubs and private functions.